Jonathan Stewart outplays Christian McCaffrey in Week 1

The Carolina Panthers started the season with a 23-3 road victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. It was also the highly anticipated debut of rookie RB Christian McCaffrey and he looked solid, running the ball 13 times for 48 yards while forcing 3 missed tackles in the process. In the passing game, he caught all five of his catchable targets for 38 yards, including an impressive 16-yard reception on third-and-15.

As impressive as McCaffrey was, tenth-year back Jonathan Stewart stole the show, racking up 65 yards on 18 carries while catching both of his targets for a further 17 yards. Stewart gained 80 percent of his yards after contact, forced a total of six missed tackles, and ended the game with an elusive rating of 86.7, the second-best mark among qualifying running backs.

The pair combined for 113 rushing yards and 55 receiving yards, but the most impressive feat of the afternoon was the game-ending 48-yard drive that started on their own one-yard line and spanned eight minutes.

McCaffrey was drafted ahead of Stewart in every format, but after Sunday’s showing is it possible that Jonathan Stewart has more fantasy value?

Probably not.

The Panthers have designed plays specifically to get McCaffrey the ball–whether that be running or receiving, they will create a gameplan every week in order for the rookie to get his touches. His lost fumble is concerning and could create hesitation from the coaching staff, but he has too much upside to not be a part of the offense.

As for Stewart, Week 1 showed that he is still an integral part of the offense. He will be receiving all of the goal-line touches and showed he still has some agility in space (80 percent of his yards came after contact).

I expect both backs to have their fair share of fantasy success in 2017.

https://www.myfantasysportstalk.com/jonathan-stewart-outplays-christian-mccaffrey-in-week-1/https://i1.wp.com/www.myfantasysportstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Panthers-49ers-Football3.jpg?fit=768%2C479&ssl=1https://i1.wp.com/www.myfantasysportstalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Panthers-49ers-Football3.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=12017-09-12T10:34:47+00:00Dan SchalkCarolina PanthersNFC SouthNFLRecent PostsCarolina Panthers,Christian McCaffrey,Jonatha nStewart,jonathan stewart,NFLThe Carolina Panthers started the season with a 23-3 road victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. It was also the highly anticipated debut of rookie RB Christian McCaffrey and he looked solid, running the ball 13 times for 48 yards while forcing 3 missed tackles in...Dan SchalkDanSchalkmyfantasysportstalk@gmail.comAdministratorDan Schalk is a sports enthusiast with degrees in Sports Coaching and Sports Management. He founded MyFantasySportsTalk in July of 2014 to bring a new platform to the sports media industry and allow various sports fans across the country have their voices be heard. Hailing from Buffalo, NY the land of the real chicken wing, you can stay up-to-date with Dan on Twitter @ffsportstalk
You can also check some of Dan's work at Fantasypros.com, as he covers the Houston Astros as a team correspondent.MyFantasySportsTalk